Ireland kept alive their faint hopes of the Six Nations title with a clinical victory over a woeful Wales.

In a game that lacked any memorable moments the Irish were the more clinical of the two. Wales lacked a platform, they had no pace and regardless of their result against Italy next week this will go down as an extremely disappointing Six Nations for them.

The victory allowed Brian O’Driscoll to celebrate his 100th cap in fine style. The hosts capitalised on the silly first-half sin-binning of Wales fullback Lee Byrne with tries from wing Keith Earls and scrum-half Tomas O’Leary to earn a lead they never looked like losing.

A poor kicking display from Ireland fly-half Jonathan Sexton allowed the visitors to stay in touch but Earls’ third try in two games on the hour kept the strangely subdued Welsh at bay.

And the centurion was happy with his side’s performance. “When they went a man down, we upped the tempo, played a lot of rugby and they struggled to live with us,” O’Driscoll said.

“We just played a smart game. we didn’t play too much rugby but when the opportunity arose, we threw it around.”

Champions Ireland need top-of-the-table France to suffer an unlikely loss against either Italy or England and make up ground on points difference to stand any chance of retaining the title.

Sexton, who also struggled from the kicking tee in an otherwise strong performance against England last time out, may rue leaving so many points on the field.

The Leinster fly-half missed his first penalty on four minutes before his more experienced opposite number Stephen Jones opened the scoring with an easier chance.

Jones put a long effort just wide and Sexton made amends for his earlier miss by levelling the scores midway through the first period. Sexton continued to mix the good with the bad, fluffing an up-and-under before making it 6-3 with another penalty.

Wales then lost Byrne to the sin bin for a needless infringement.

After a similarly stupid binning cost Wales badly in their opening day loss to England, Ireland wrestled control of the game just as decisively, scoring two tries while the fullback watched from the sidelines.

Kicking deep into the hole left at the back, Earls was the beneficiary of a quick tap penalty, going over the line.

Sexton missed the easy conversion and then another after man-of-the-match O’Leary scurried away from the back of a scrum to power over in the corner for a 16-6 half-time lead.

After Ireland survived a series of Welsh scrums on their own line in the opening exchanges of the second half, Sexton made Jones regret his decision not to opt for goal with a close-range penalty by stretching the lead with one of his own.

Jones edged Wales back in touch with his third successful penalty but Munster wing Earls enhanced his growing reputation by striking again from the constantly lively O’Leary.

Wales, as poor in attack as defence, failed to trouble the Irish for the remaining 20 minutes and Sexton wiped out another Jones penalty with a finely taken drop goal just before the end.

And Wales coach Warren Gatland wasn’t left a happy man. “It was disappointing, Ireland were very good today, very clinical and they took their chances well.”